Gender neutral uniforms

[welshcrossdresser]

This is on today's Independent newspaper website: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 77701.html

Rob

[crfriend]

That's all well and good that they've scrapped the gender-specificity of the uniforms, but they're still doing straight guys who may simply with to don a skirt rather than trousers no favours by confusing the act with sexuality. The net result of this, perhaps deliberate, confusion will be to reinforce the current notion that any bloke in a skirt is sexually "odd" -- and that can only hurt everybody involved.

The press, once again, fails to grok the point and resorts to what amounts to cheap-shot labels.

[happykilt]

Maybe it is my poor understanding of English but I do not see any gender neutrality in that article.

It is part of a drive, funded by the government, for schools to be more open to children who are questioning their gender identity.

Clothes are to represent ones gender, not sartorial choice.

If some boys and girls are happier identifying with a different gender from that in which they were born,...

Where is the "gender neutrality"?

[dillon]

I would presume it's simply the well-intentioned attempts of officials and reporters to wrap their heads around matters for which they lack both understanding and vocabulary. So, do we fault them for taking too-small and imperfect steps in the right direction, or do we applaud the small steps and move on to gently further educate them? Rome was not built in a day. Desegregation of US schools happened well over a generation ago, yet racism still flourishes. Does that mean we denounce desegregation efforts for their flaws? It is less than rational to expect perfection from imperfect humans. And passive grumbling seldom improves anything.

[crfriend]

[...] So, do we fault them for taking too-small and imperfect steps in the right direction, or do we applaud the small steps and move on to gently further educate them?

I suppose it should be the latter but I am getting very, very, tired of having sexuality lumped into things where it really doesn't need to be and where it becomes divisive. Precisely the only time it's of any consequence whatsoever is when one is looking for a potential sexual partner; other than that, it's largely irrelevant. Why, then, does the popular press insist of foisting it on us at every possible juncture?

[renesm1]

[...] So, do we fault them for taking too-small and imperfect steps in the right direction, or do we applaud the small steps and move on to gently further educate them?

I suppose it should be the latter but I am getting very, very, tired of having sexuality lumped into things where it really doesn't need to be and where it becomes divisive. Precisely the only time it's of any consequence whatsoever is when one is looking for a potential sexual partner; other than that, it's largely irrelevant. Why, then, does the popular press insist of foisting it on us at every possible juncture?

The media (or in this case the reporter writing it) has very little time to spend on researching the nuances between sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Hence, why it all gets lumped together. That reporter probably has another 20 stories to write today (mostly cribbed from other sources) in a mad dash for web traffic.

I'm not trying to defend the way it was reported, just offering an explanation as to why it got written the way it did.

[Fred in Skirts]

I have seen this in many types of news sources and it is just bad journalism. The reporters do not bother to even check for facts any more. They write what ever comes to their feeble minds and that is now presented as facts. They do not research stories any more they just print them with all of the errors they contain presented as the truth. This is one of the reasons this country is in the shape it is in. I watch the local news on the boob tube and have called some of the reporting just plain fabrication and let them know in uncertain terms that they need to make a retraction. Sometimes it works and they make the corrections. Some times well they just keep on doing the wrong thing. So blame the press for all of the labels they put on people.

Children should be able to wear what they want regardless of what gender they are or what their sexual preference is.

Fred

[Colin]

This is on today's Independent newspaper website: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 77701.html

Rob

This was reported in several newspapers / websites.

[renesm1]

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/fe ... rts-school

A more measured take on the issue from the New Statesman.

[bobmoore]

I suppose it should be the latter but I am getting very, very, tired of having sexuality lumped into things where it really doesn't need to be and where it becomes divisive. Precisely the only time it's of any consequence whatsoever is when one is looking for a potential sexual partner; other than that, it's largely irrelevant. Why, then, does the popular press insist of foisting it on us at every possible juncture?

Possibly because sex is a hot button for most people, and the otherwise pedestrian matter of who wears what wouldn't hold much interest otherwise.

[moonshadow]

I've finally just reached the conclusion that all women are genderless. It doesn't matter what they do, what they wear, how the wear it, or where they wear it.. they will ALWAYS be women. (or girls in the case of the article)

It seems that the going trend is:

Woman wears trousers: still a woman
Women wears skirts: still a woman
Man wears trousers: still a man
Man wears anything else: he's now a transgender woman.

So we are back to two genders, cis-men, and everyone else.

In the various issues and snafus I've ran into during my skirt wearing time, with friends, family, jobs etc, it was never about simply breaking Old Testament law (everyone does that after all), it was always about me being a transgender woman, and how are we going to handle that? It's never Moon Shadow simply wearing clothes of his choice... it's always Moon Shadow transitioning and embarrassing his family, friends, etc.... it's all about them!

You just can't be a free man (or boy) in a skirt or dress. Nooooo! You can only be free if you adopt the transgender label... yet WOMEN DON'T HAVE TO! I call bull sh!t!

[dillon]

All I am saying is to judge people on the merits of their policy, and not on the feebleness of their vocabulary or the limits of their comprehension. As one who watches the oppression of transgender kids, paid for by my tax dollars, I will applaud any step in the right direction, because it's vastly better than the institutionalization of willful ignorance by my state's politicians who want to push these kids into the closet, lock the door and throw away the key. Flawed work can be amended, but progress must not be halted because it doesn't use the right words or motives. That's letting the perfect become the enemy of the good, and is simply foolish.

[moonshadow]

All I am saying is to judge people on the merits of their policy, and not on the feebleness of their vocabulary or the limits of their comprehension. As one who watches the oppression of transgender kids, paid for by my tax dollars, I will applaud any step in the right direction, because it's vastly better than the institutionalization of willful ignorance by my state's politicians who want to push these kids into the closet, lock the door and throw away the key. Flawed work can be amended, but progress must not be halted because it doesn't use the right words or motives. That's letting the perfect become the enemy of the good, and is simply foolish.

I understand what you're saying, and I'll give it an honorable mention for at least not being a step in wrong direction, as well as fostering a notion of tolerance, which is always a good thing. I simply wish one could simply be just a man enjoying the clothing of his choice.

Although I guess I've got no room to talk. There is a good possibility the only reason I'm not on unemployment right now is thanks to the trans-agenda, and people's general fear of bad PR and potential lawsuits. So I guess if being a trans-woman is the only way I can keep the lights on and enjoy skirts, then a trans-woman I'll have to be.

But I still think it sucks, and slaps of double standards that cis-women (if there is even such a thing anymore) can just be women and not have to go through all this crap.

[Grok]

At this point, wearing anything they feel like is part of women's turf. Males, however, are supposed to stay in a stultifying little box.

[TheSkirtedMan]

I too noted this announcement and a google search listed several newspaper reports.

Once again gender neutral, in this case clothing, is primarily in name only but not in actions. In the case of uniform policy in the UK girls already can wear trousers even if the policy says skirts for girls. Sex discrimination, a breach of the human rights etc is cited. The government drive is targeted only for Transgender persons and although I am in favour of this and support LGBT it is once again labeling trans persons as being different when in fact they are still humans reflecting a male persona or female. It also labels the likes of men on this forum and other men like us not on this forum as being inherently different form society to a point of being not normal, dysfuntional etc, when women are never questioned or challenged unlike men who choose to embrace freedom of choice/expression in clothing/appearance. For the government drive to be truly gender neutral it should encompass all and not specifically target a specific area of society.

With regards the newspaper articles, I noted at least 7, all the headlines were specifically boys can wear skirts. This makes boys/men who wish to break with society expectations and stereotypes to be questioned, analyised and yes considered as being inherently questionable.

As always in this area, the logic applied to men is not applied to women and ignores the fact that women and girls, have, can even wear or appear as they want, always accepted, never questioned. This government drive, supported by simple minded reporting does not help our cause for men to have freedom of expression and choice but makes men like us be dismissed and discounted even more than trans persons for which the UK government seems to feel they need statutory protection for gender neutrality. Gender neutrality is for all, otherwise you have no gender neutrality.

It made me post a specific page on this on my site with several links to these newspapers.